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Barney
Definitions
- 1 insane crazy, loony. UK, obsolete, slang
- 1 A male given name:; A male given name transferred from the surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A male given name:; A diminutive of the male given names Barnabas, Barnaby, Bernard, or Barnett. countable, uncountable
- 3 A male given name:; A male given name from Old English. countable, uncountable
- 4 A surname:; A surname transferred from the given name. countable, uncountable
- 5 A surname:; A surname from Old English.; A surname from Old English [in turn from placenames] from the place name Barney, Old English "barn/barley island". countable, uncountable
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- 6 A surname:; A surname from Old English.; A surname from Old English [in turn transferred from the given name]. countable, uncountable
- 7 A placename:; A village in Fulmodeston parish, North Norfolk district, Norfolk, England (OS grid ref TF9932). countable, uncountable
- 8 A placename:; A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Faulkner County, Arkansas. countable, uncountable
- 9 A placename:; A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Brooks County, Georgia. countable, uncountable
- 10 A placename:; A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Madison County, Iowa. countable, uncountable
- 11 A placename:; A place in the United States:; A minor city in Richland County, North Dakota. countable, uncountable
- 1 A lark, a romp, some fun. UK, obsolete, slang
- 2 A police officer, usually one who is inferior or overzealous. US, pejorative, slang
"She called the town Mayberry. She said Barney Fife was in charge."
- 3 A hoax, a humbug, something that is not genuine, a rigged or unfair sporting contest. UK, obsolete, slang
""Just keep it i' thy mind," entreated the other, as a sort of parting remembrance, "ut I won thee i' fair powell—one toss an' no barney.[…]""
- 4 A poor recitation. obsolete
- 5 A noisy argument. Australia, UK, slang
"Gary and Mum went mental, and Gary phoned them up and had a right Barney with them."
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- 6 A minor physical fight. Australia, UK, slang
"I got stuck in the middle of a real barney between a couple of tough coppers and a handful of hairy protesters, and I didn't enjoy it one single bit."
- 7 A student at Harvard University. Boston, US, dialectal
"There goes that fuckin' Barney right now, with his fuckin' "skiin' trip." We should'a kicked that dude's ass."
- 8 Synonym of blimp (“soundproof cover for a video camera”).
"You can create your own blimp or barney with anything that will deaden the camera noise, such as a changing bag, foam rubber, […]"
- 1 To recite badly; to fail. obsolete
"What avails it to make a shine in Greek if the next hour one does a barney in calculus."
- 2 To argue, to quarrel. Australia, UK
Etymology
From either the Old English personal name Bera (genitive singular Beran) or from Old English beren (“growing with barley”) + īeġ (“island”).
Etymology unknown. Often incorrectly thought to be Cockney rhyming slang from Barney Rubble (“trouble”, from the character Barney Rubble on The Flintstones), it actually dates back to the 19th century and its origin is unknown.
Etymology unknown. Often incorrectly thought to be Cockney rhyming slang from Barney Rubble (“trouble”, from the character Barney Rubble on The Flintstones), it actually dates back to the 19th century and its origin is unknown.
Etymology unknown. Often incorrectly thought to be Cockney rhyming slang from Barney Rubble (“trouble”, from the character Barney Rubble on The Flintstones), it actually dates back to the 19th century and its origin is unknown.
From the character Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show.
See also for "barney"
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